In a document processing environment it is highly desirable to achieve efficient means of processing documents. In general, higher efficiency in the processing of documents translates into lower business costs. Many businesses, such as banks, casinos, and retail stores, need to process large volumes of documents on a daily basis.
Manufacturers of slot machines used in casinos and other gaming establishments have developed coinless redemption slot machines. Lucky winners using these machines receive their payout in the form of a casino cashout ticket instead of coins or currency bills. The casino cashout ticket is encoded, typically in the form of a barcode, with a number that is associated with the payout amount. This type of barcoded casino cashout ticket is assigned a ticket number when it is dispensed to the game player, and this ticket number is printed as a barcode on the face of the ticket. The payout amount is not encoded on the ticket, but rather is stored, typically in a remote database, along with the ticket number. Another form of a casino cashout ticket includes two barcodes. One of the barcodes represents a ticket number, and another barcode represents the payout amount.
To redeem the payout, the winner may insert the casino cashout ticket into a slot box or validator of a slot machine or casino redemption machine, which validates the ticket and either dispenses the payout amount in cash or awards the winner a number of credits commensurate with the payout amount. The slot box also accepts currency bills. When the casino operators empty the slot boxes, the cartridges may contain a combination of currency bills and cashout tickets.
Most casinos are equipped with currency processing devices which rapidly sort, count, and authenticate currency bills. However, these machines cannot handle or recognize casino cashout tickets, so the operator must manually hand-sort the currency bills from the casino cashout tickets so that they can be processed separately. The hand-sorting and manual-entry steps are both time and labor intensive. Additionally, some casinos retain the processed casino cashout tickets for a predetermined amount of time for record-keeping or other purposes, such as compliance with gaming regulations. The long-term or short-term storage and handling of these casino cashout tickets can be voluminous, burdensome, and costly.
Thus, there is a need for a document processing device that efficiently processes documents including currency bills and casino cashout tickets. There also exists a need for a document processing device that minimizes the handling of casino cashout tickets with minimal human intervention, lower costs, and decreases in the potential of human error.